A beautiful day, cold,icy even. I carried my kayak down the stairs in front of my partner's house across the piles of drifted bark and logs to the sand. There was barely a wave, the north end of the Salish Sea was dead calm. I had put on my wetsuit in the house to amused laughter over the colour combo with my lifejacket and fleece jacket."Wait till you see me with my spray skirt!" I carried down my paddle, pump, paddlefloat, drybag (with extra clothes in case I dumped), and put on my new neoprene gloves. A bit too small, oh well I will try them out anyway. Loaded my meagre safety stuff, climbed in and discovered how tough it is to stretch the spray skirt with these gloves. Shoved off Eskimo style lifting the kayak by pushing my fists down into the beach and propelling myself forward into this placid, mill pond of an inland sea. It is so wonderful to be on the water, I drifted a few minutes just getting adjusted to the feeling of floating, rocking back and forth till my partner and daughter came down to the beach to walk the dogs. I practiced bracing strokes on both sides leaning into the turns watching the reflection and water drip off the paddles and then paddled west into the sun along the Willemar Bluffs, stroking the water watching the ripples undulating away from the hull, turning, leaning into it and carving out the turns as Annie and Monica, Murfy and Diogi accompanied me on shore. The tide had risen so my landbound companions turned about and we headed back up the beach. I took off my shades shoving them under the bungie net and called out that I would paddle to the boat launch. I sprinted on giving it all I could, feeling the pull in my pelvis and the burn in my shoulders from lack of paddling. Slowing again to drift and stare down at the bottom,sandy here and there with shells and rocks, eelgrass and sea lettuce waving as I passed overhead. A couple of Scooters felt me intruding and took off with their repetitious beeping and in the two biggest firs behind the beach houses sat two Eagles. Ahead I saw a small group of Trumpeter Swans and they too felt my intruding presence as slowly in groups of three and four, lifting themselves out of the water with their massive wings beating the tips on the surface like some drummer pounding the drum and honking the whole time until airborne, they all congregated and flew west and north around the point. The gulls were not in the least intimidated by me and as I approached the boatlaunch they hardly glanced my way while I made a wide turn in front of them. The sun again in my eyes I fished out the shades in time to watch it sink behind the glacier, a liquid light slowly extinguished across the water. And still the water so clear and still. I paddled out deeper into some riffles as fingers of flat water reached towards me and I slowed my cadence to enjoy the incredible view. I turned to the mountains in the east draped with orange and purple cloud lines and there was the gibbous moon a day away from full, bright and grand against an open sky, What a glorious place this is and what a joy to behold. I gave thanks for the honour of witnessing it and paddled on slowly towards the beach and a cup of hot chocolate after washing down the boat and loading it on the van. Throughout this short trip I assembled images and sensations attempting to compose a lucid monologue I could put into words so I could share with you the majesty, the awesome power of a gentle sea the sights and sounds of sunset where I paddle. Michael Justice 48.48 N 123.40 W _______________________________________________________ *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************
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